Hoisting and launching means for boats



ov. 21, 1950 G. B. POST HoIsTING AND LAUNCHING MEANS FOR BoA'rs Filed Feb. 24, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR,

Nov. 2l, 1950 G. B. PosT HoIsTING AND LAUNCHING MEANS FOR BOATS Filed Feb.l 24, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patentedv Nov. 21, 1950 1 U-fN-lreo sfr-.Aras PAIE-Nr OFFICE` HOISTINGSAND-LAUNCHlNG-MEANS FR' BOATS i George .B1 Posh. GreatfNeck, Nr, Y..

ApplicationF'ebruaryM, 1949, Serial No; 78,063

2Claims.. (Chit- 39) This#v invention isf; concerned..withY the f. art of. f raising.V and .loweringobjects and` particularlywitlfi means and a. i method: for hoisting; smalllboats aboardiand launchingA them: or larger vessels.

Onecoi .thenmost vexing; problems of yachtsr' men isa-that, ofshoisting. therftender aboard ship andf.;launching. tagain whengd'esired.; O n the;

larger ivesselsg. this .isfiusually-. accomplished: byfy meanscofffdavits and fwinchesf buttheseqare .ex-j

pensive space-consuming-` devices thatuare` not.

always-practical orfthe'smaller yachts.=V Often" the tender is simplyL allowed to remainin: the"v waterfsecured' bly.:a.-painter to the:yacht;whereA it l'may chafe theside fof-f the yacht, foul the pro4` peller or may even be lost.

In recognition of these3 diilicultles; I have invented a simplel arrangement ofinexpensive-parts whereby.dinghies` and other small boats may-fbshoistedi'aboard a-larger boat ori vessel' bya--fsingle person safely and-with-Very little effort: The inventionf" also f permits the4 safe'v and easyA launchingofthe smallboat; As ywillbeapparent fromY the -descriptionwhich follows; the principal ob-l jects-'fof myinvention are to eliminate the exe pensive' equipmentA heretoforer considered: necessary to -raise-smallf boats: aboard vessels and lowerl th'emfagainand to `provide-a relatively simpleclevi'ceV which may beinstalled by VtheV boat owneriat'smallexpense which `will enable one person4 to -o1uiokly-and1` easily put small boats aboardrandllaunch' 'them again. Another object' of the invention is to'providea method of'han- @lling small boats-jon' largervessels without damageto either. Still another objectv is to'eliminate the necessity heretofore experienced by srnallv boat ownersV of' having. to allow their tendersftolrexn'ainin the water for laok offef fective, means of bringing the .tenderaboard. These obj eets. and` still other advantages `of vthe present invention. willA become more apparent..

especially to those .familiar with boating by. reierence to the following description. anddrawings of'which:

Figurev 1 ".is. .a side elevation oi the stern. ,of .a

vessel. and a dinghy` showingthenovel apparatus of the invention in position.forliitingthe,dinghy.`

aboard' the. Vessel... The initial position being. indicated'jl in ,ful-1. lines. and.- the.. several succeeding positions. illi'istratedby dotted lines;

Elg'ureZ is anend .elevation .ofthe vessel -in-` cluding. aA .transverse-.sectional -viewl`taken along.v

the line 2.-2. through thedinghy of Figure-.1, looking in thedirection ofzthe vessel, further illustratinggbyydtted, linesythe vertical positionv ofirthesdinghy; as rrestingf.againstr webbing at the.y

transomzof the cruiser;

Figure..f3 isra fragmentary view in perspective ofzstheevess'els;transom showinga preferred em- -f bodiment of fasteningfrneans;`

Figureffl isadetail sectional view taken along thelineil-kotligure 3 illustrating the fastening means in-.loeked position;

Fignrexisya detailed .viewi in perspective illus- .'tratingadetachable member adapted to be securedto-.the :transom: of the dinghy;

Eiguree isA a-sdeview of a position ofthe dinghy,` showing then detachable member in Vposi-A tionfjustiprior. toits being lifted. from-.the water,

Figure 7: is a similar view, but illustrating the manner in `whichfthe'dinghy pvotson the fenoler.A rope-rand"V itsV supporting webbing while resting against the transom ofthe vessel.

Referringagain to Figure 1, it will be seen that in a preferred embodiment of the inventionylavesselzl anda dinghy 2 are brought transom -to transom and held in position by exible tension members' 3. It should beV noted at this i `point.= that the-term vessel is used through the specication and. claims to include Various types-- and'rkindsfof` motorboats and sailboats having sidesgorV a transom rising substantially vertically from'thewater line. The free board of the vessel, thatis, the,-distance from the water line to the gunwale, should notexceed the length of the dinghyandpreferably should be less than about two-.thirds the dinghys length. The reason for thisH-willabe more apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.

The term dinghy as used herein and in the claims `refers to 1a-small boat'of the type usually usedeas atender to carry theboatsnian from the shore-.or dock` .tothe-vessel. Prarns, skiis; tenders,v

and..rowboats in general can be classified as dinghiesjfor purposesof'the present invention. For best-operation of the invention.,l the dinghy should have a substantiallyat transom as shown in the. drawings;

ThefleXible-.tension meni'ber mayl be of any` lexiblefma-terial capable of withstanding the tensionnecessary tir-hold the dinghy in a vertical position.l Lprefer a ilat strap of webbing woven fromleottonnnylonor. the like, orleather, but va ropeychain, cable, or other flexible material may alsobe used if desired'.-

Itfispreferred that'.the .iiexible'mernber' be at-v tachedto the'v vessel las shown in Figures. 3, and` fl ;1 that is.,-;on.ther aft deck ofthe vessel/l` just over: the transom. Forbest results; `two straps spaced;v

apart as shown are provided. The spacing of these straps should preferably be such that as the dinghy pivots over the molding 6 on the transom, the gunwale of the dinghy will rest on theV straps thereby avoiding contact with the woodwork on the vessel and possible resulting damage. This is clearly shown in Figure 2.

It should be noted that the invention is not strictly limited to the use of two straps as one strap could be used although to less advantage. In such case, the single strap should be secured to the dinghy at approximately its centerline.

A desirable method of attaching the straps to the vessel is shown in Figures 3 and 4. The socket iitting 'I is recessed in the deck and secured with screws or bolts. The particular socket fitting shown has a T-shaped socket designed to receive a strap hook 8 having a complementary shape so that it may be quickly inserted or removed from the socket fitting. It will be understood of course that various other types of ttings may be used to secure the straps to the vessel and that these fittings may be located either on the deck of the vessel or on the upper portion of the transom or even on the sides.

The straps may be secured to the transom of the dinghy in various ways, a preferred method being shown in Figure 6. In this particular ernbodiment, a hinge 9 is secured to the outer sides of the transom as shown. For best results, these ttings should be as far athwartship and as high up on the transom as possible. In the particular modification shown in the drawings, the flexible strap 3 is secured to the fastening 9 by a pin Il) which usually remains in place with the straps thrown in the dinghy when not in use. Of course, if desired, the straps may be fastened to the transom of the dinghy by a hook and eye (not shown) or by other means whereby they may be quickly removed from the dinghy and carried on the larger vessel.

It is desirable but not necessary that the dinghy have a bumper II of some relatively soft material as shown in Figure 7 projecting outwardly so that as the dinghy is being raised, the transom of the larger vessel is protected.

The length of the straps 3 should be adjusted so that they are of such length that they extend from the fittings on the vessel to the fastening 9 on the transom of the dinghy without allowing slack to develop. This is shown in Figure 1. Undue slack in the straps would allow the dinghy to drift about and make it more diicult to handle during the raising operation. Also if the straps are too long the transom may fall below the water line during the raising operation and take water aboard. If desired, the straps may be shortened by the buckle arrangement of iitting 8 as shown in Figures 3 and 4 so that the stern of the dinghy is raised slightly out of the water as in Figure 2. This permits a more stable arrangement of the dinghy with respect to the Vessel and is preferred where the dinghy is not too heavy.

Means to hoist the dinghy on board the Vessel include, preferably, a block and tackle arrangement such as shown in Figure 1. In this arrangement a single block i2 is secured by a suitable fastening means to the vessel on the cabin or canopy I4, stanchion, or on the mast, or other portion of the vessel (not shown) at a point above the deck fittings l. The higher this block is attached on the vessel, the easier will be the operation of raising the dinghy. When the dinghy is very light, the block I2 may be omitted and the line I may be fastened directly to the vessel.

The other end of the block and tackle arrangement is secured to the bow of the dinghy. This may be accomplished by fastening the becket end I6 of block I'I to a hook or ring I8 with a snap hook I9, or cleVis to the bow end of the dinghy at a point preferably located on the inside as shown in Figure 1. The free end of the line 20 running through the block II reaches up and into the cockpit 2I of the vessel as shown where it may be grasped by the operator.

The operation of hoisting the dinghy aboard the vessel should be obvious from the foregoing description but will be described in connection with Figure 1.

It is preferred that the hoisting tackle just described be located at the stern of the vessel since usually the dinghy will then lie in the lee of the vessel and will be easier to maneuver. The rst step of the operation is to bring the dinghy so that its transom faces the transom of the larger vessel. The straps 3 are then secured to ttings 'I as shown. The raising tackle may thenv be attached to the bow of the dinghy at I8 with the free end of the line 2| being in the cockpit of the vessel. With the dinghy secured to the vessel as shown, it is then raised by pulling on line 2B whereupon the bow end of the dinghy is raised as illustrated in the successive positions A, B, and C in dotted lines of Figure l. As the dinghy pivots over the gunwale, it may then be gently lowered into the cockpit of the vessel as shown in the nal dotted line position. It may be left in this position, or if desired the straps 3 may be removed and the dinghy stowed in a more desirable location.

It will be understood, of course, that it is not necessary to install the apparatus of the present invention at the stern of the vessel. In some cases it is desirable that the dinghy be hoisted over the sides of the vessel. This is particularly true in some types of boats which have an overhanging stern or a projecting rudder, outboard motor, or other structure at the stern. In such case, ttings 'I are attached at suitable locations on the deck of the Vessel so that the dinghy may be hoisted over the sides at that location in the same manner as described above. As previously stated, the free board of the vessel should preferlably be lss than about two-thirds the overall length of the dinghy, and should also be substan- \tially vertical so that the dinghy may be tumbled aboard by the process described.

As will be obvious, the point of attachment of the block and tackle on the vessel should be such that the line I 5 is in a plane vertical to the water and falling within the points of attachment of the fittings 9 on the transom of the dinghy, and the ttings 'I on the deck of the vessel. Otherwise there may be a tendency of the dinghy to.A

fall off to one side because of the unbalanced application of force to the bow with respect to the center of gravity and support of the dinghy.

Although the foregoing description has been principally concerned with the method of hoisting the dinghy aboard the larger vessel, it will be apparent that the dinghy may be lowered from the Vessel to the water by simply reversing the procedure. To lowerthe dinghy, it is placed bottom up with the gunwale I I of the dinghy resting on the gunwale 6 of the vessel, at the sides or over the transom, over the deck ttings 1 with the transom projecting outwardly over the water. Straps 3 are then secured to the dinghy by fittings 9 as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 6 and to the vessel by hook 8 as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Tackle hook I9 is -secured to the bow of the dinghy at I8, and the dinghy is then forced outwardly, and its bow is raised until it is resting on the straps in a substantially vertical position. It may then be gently lowered into the water with line 20 and the straps 3 and tackle hook I9 disconnected. The operation of lowering the dinghy has then been safely completed. o

It will now be readily appreciated that when launching a dinghy in accordance with the method or means of tumbling or pivoting, the dinghy assuming a substantially horizontal position upon the surface of the water, the taking-in of the slightest amount of Water is effectually eliminated. It may be here mentioned that should there be any water in the dinghy prior to hoisting, the operation of hoisting already described will thoroughly empty it. Obviously, this procedure elimin-ates the necessity of the usual bailing operations since the dinghy may be but temporarily lifted from the water.

I claim:

1. In combination, a Vessel having an aft deck and transom and a dinghy, a pair of flexible straps spaced athwartship the vessel, each being attached at one end thereof to the vessel on the aft deck and leading over the transom of the vessel and being attached at the other ends thereof to the transom of the dinghy at points athwartship thereof, the length of the straps being Vsuch that the transom of the dinghy is held close to the transom of the vessel without slack in saisi Straps., .Ineens attache@ t9 the vessel and 6 the dinghy for hoisting the latter up over the aft deck of the vessel with the transom of the vessel acting as a fulcrum.

2. In combination, a vessel having an aft deck and transom and a dinghy, a pair of 'flexible straps spaced athwartship the vessel, each being attached at one end thereof to the vessel on the aft deck and leading over the transom of the vessel, the other ends thereof being attached to the transom of the dinghy at points athwartship thereof, the length of the straps being such that the transom of the dinghy is held close to the transom of the vessel without slack in said straps, a single block attached to the vessel at a point above the transom thereof, a block attached to the bow of the dinghy, a line extending through said vessel block to the dinghy block and thence to the cockpit of the vessel whereby the bow of the dinghy may be raised out of the water and upover the aft deck of the vessel using the transom of the vessel as a fulcrum.

GEORGE'B POST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the f1le of this patent:

UNITED STATES rPATENTS 

